Can Cats Eat Salmon? | Dog Product Picker

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Salmon has a lot of protein, omega-6 fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, vitamin A, and other essential nutrients that are beneficial for your feline friends. So, is feeding your feline friend salmon a great choice?

Yes, it is a good idea but remember to give it as an occasional treat in small amounts and do not depend your cat’s diet solely on salmon.

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Is Eating Salmon Safe for My Feline Friend?

Salmon is just a raw fish used as human food that you can give your feline friend as well but not on a regular basis. Salmon has many nutritional benefits. The salmon skin has healthy fats, fish oils, and B vitamins like vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 is a great source of omega-3 and other nutritional value. This oily fish makes a tasty treat for your cat’s health and digestive system.

Giving your cat raw salmon is not a great choice, but as cat owners, we can allow our feline friend to enjoy some small pieces of this healthy fish. Salmon has a lot of protein which is good news for your cat’s immune system, but what type of salmon you are giving and how well it is cooked are some things you need to consider. If you give this type of fish to your feline friend without consideration, it can cause potential problems in your cat’s stomach and may also lead to several medical conditions.

How Much Salmon Can Cat Eat?

As cat parents, we should give our feline friend around 30 calories of any type of fish which would be around one-tenth of a half fillet if your cat is 10 pounds. Cats are obligate carnivores and love fish skin, raw meat, fish diet, fish bones, and any type of regular food that smells or tastes like meat. They need a lot of protein to eat any type of salmon.

However, as pet owners, we should carefully consider the type of salmon we give to our feline friends because cats’ immune systems are sensitive, and anything bad can lead to food poisoning and other health problems. Your feline friend will take in a whiff or smell of salmon and consume it without any concerns, but if you haven’t cooked the salmon safely, it can cause gastrointestinal upset.

Do not grill raw salmon and give it to your cat as they will love eating it, and as per some vets, they might even begin eating their regular food less, which is not the best way to give your cat salmon as it may cause potential risks to your cat’s health. Moreover, you shouldn’t feed your feline friend salmon every day because it is not a primary source of protein in your cat’s diet but just an occasional treat.

What Type of Salmon Can a Cat Eat?

Your feline friend can eat many types of salmons, but a few are dangerous for them, and they should never go near them. Cat’s body is adjusted to protein diets, but if we see wild cats, their digestive systems are adjusted according to raw protein diets, so salmon skin, salmon bones, etc., are all part of a cat’s diet. However, not all protein-based foods are nutritious foods and a great treat for your feline friend.

As a cat owner, the safest way for you is to give them good sources of proteins so that they do not go out and hunt down the foods that are not good for them. Moreover, never give them homemade raw food diets as the meats found on the market for human consumption have a real possibility of harmful bacteria, which is dangerous for your feline friend. Cats can eat raw salmon, but it can cause gastrointestinal upset. Smoked salmon is good, but it has too much salt, probably heavy metals, and high-fat content, which is not an ideal way to give your cat some fish. However, you can give it small amounts because the high salt content might help your cat drink more water.

Cooked salmon skin is safe to consume for cats, but you cannot give your cat’s skin raw salmon. A store-bought fish is not a fresh fish which means it might have E. coli, salmonella, and other parasitic infections. When it comes to salmon bones, you cannot give these to your feline friend as they may cause a choking hazard and internal damage.

Fishes have thiamine deficiency which your cat needs to survive. If you feed them cooked or raw salmon bones, the thiaminase from fish can break down thiamine in the cat’s body which is not ideal. You should also avoid canned salmon due to its high salt content and limited nutritional value. Instead, you can give your feline friend dry cat food and other types of canned food.

Can Kittens Eat Salmon?

The good news is that your kitty can eat any type of salmon except for bones. Kittens need omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of protein, which they can get from Salmon. It is good for their growth and development and can also benefit their immune system. Salmon have taurine, and kittens have a taurine deficiency that they can recover from by eating salmon. So, you can feed your little furry friends some salmon without difficulties.

Three Tips to Keep in Mind When Feeding Salmon

Do not offer excessive amounts of human food to cats, whether they are extremely nutritious. They need their commercial cat foods specially designed for them and the occasional treats in small amounts.
Secondly, give small portions of salmon and other human foods to your feline friend because they can easily get addicted and start asking for more which is not great. This way, they will not eat their diet, and too much salmon is not good for them.
Make sure you give good quality salmon to your cats. Cook it at medium to high temperatures, and serve fresh salmon to eliminate harmful bacteria. Please do not feed them canned salmon, as it is not beneficial.

Summary

The short answer is not to give your cat salmon with high sodium content, high fat, heavy metals, or anything bad. Yes, salmon gives your cat healthy skin and a little bit of image credit, but it does not mean that you can ignore the possible health problems that different types of salmon can bring, such as kidney problems, salmon allergy, mercury poisoning, etc. So, giving small amounts of cooked salmon without bones to your feline friend is better.

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